IT"S DONE IT"S ALL DONE

4:16 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

"On the scale of one to ten, how much fight do you have in you?"

That was the first line of my speech for the public speaking competition. For ABMA151, it was more like, "On the scale of one to ten, how many times did you fight?" Funny, right? Our block, they said, had the most people in it. One of our professors said, "Your block could have been so powerful." Yes, could have been. ABMA151 is filled with so many different voices, different minds, different opinions, and all those things put together in one block made the dragons within ourselves breathe fire. We fought so. many. times. We cursed each other and made each other cry, not only because of this competition, but because of every single competition we had to go through as a block during English turn. However, (it's funny how there are always "buts" and "despites" huh?) we managed to come together yet again. All the other blocks did great - amazing, even - and we honestly didn't expect to win because we had to go through so many things during practices only to be faced with performances much better than ours. People may think that we are braggers for being happy about this win, but I stopped caring because it is never wrong to celebrate. I'd also like to congratulate my blockmates who won individual awards and made us proud to say we are in one class, one block. It is a honor to have so many talented people surround me even if we don't get along most of the time. Our block is divided AF, but I can now say that despite that, we are still as powerful as one group of people can be. Placing 2nd Runner-Up was a great way to end the all-English term and all I can say now is:

IT'S DONE IT IS FINALLY DONE WE CAN FINALLY SLEEP PEACEFULLY AND EAT WELL AND JUST BREATHE FINALLY

(Well, at least for one month..."

Oh My God, What Was That?

7:21 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

Okay, what did I just go through? Listen, I have honestly never done anything like participating in a PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION. I used to have stage fright; every time I was faced with an audience, I always started shaking. When I found out that we had TWO public speaking classes for the all-English term, I wanted to bolt - to straight up skip school altogether. The moment our first speech project happened, I felt like fainting in front of class. I hated it. I hated how everyone's eyes were on me. I hated how people were just waiting for me to make a mistake. I basically hater public speaking in general. God, I was so scared that day. Apparently, though, I seem to have improved a lot. By a lot, I mean a lot. I would've fainted in front of everyone if I didn't learn to ignore everyone watching. I would've panicked as soon as my eyes met with the audience. There were a lot of things that could've happened, and those aren't good things at all. I never would have imagined myself standing there on stage and talking in front of IDK-how-many people. I didn't even want to be a finalist, really, because being a finalist would mean delivering your speech onstage and that was never on my bucket list. Buuut, (un)fortunately, my name was called and I embarrassed myself onstage - I mean, what? Standing on stage was one of the (worst) most memorable experiences I have ever had. I am thankful for the people who cheered for me and believed in me despite my constant whining about how I was gonna mess up. I am thankful for the one who is always one message away, waiting inside that little chathead on my phone. I am thankful for the one who never fails to send an assuring breeze as soon as I look up. I am thankful. Anyway, there were a lot of great speakers and I don't even expect to win anything because I screwed up my speech, but oh well! At least it's all done. Do I get my additional points now?

Ignite and Story Telling Competition

4:09 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

There are two things I liked about this event:

1.) BOOKS!
2.) The Legend of The Apple

     As a bibliophile myself, I could relate to the Ignite speakers so well and there were even times I had to whoop loudly in agreement. Being a bookworm is extremely hard, especially when you barely have enough time to read. I love how the speakers easily explained the common problems and "confessions" of a bookworm. Can I just say... I KNOW, RIGHT? The way they delivered their speech made me listen even more intently because it was like they were speaking directly to you instead of the audience. It was obvious that the speakers were really bookworms. (Or just really great actors.) I could go on and on about how much  I could relate to everything they said, but it's easier to actually talk to real bookworms instead.
     The Legend of The Apple was my favorite legend despite the poor delivery (sorry omg) and it's not because of the legend itself, but because of the mentions of the stars, the wind, the sky, birds, storms, clouds, and rain. I love those things for reasons I like to keep to myself and my friends. Because of the mentions of these beautiful things, I actually paid attention to the story. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed by how it ended because, really?? That's it??? Buuut I still liked it because of the sky hehe. There were more legends told by the story tellers (not sure if that's what I should call them but oh well) but this one just snatched me.
     Books and the sky are two of my favorite things and hearing about both of them in one event is just overwhelming. These are some of the topics I just love to engage in, so if you want me to stay interested in something, insert a few bits about the sky and books because it'll surely make me listen. If only events could be this meaningful..

Benji In Da Hauz

3:49 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

ABMAnuod Tayo Ng Bago

3:31 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

     There are a lot of things that interest me and one of those things is animation. I don't plan on taking animation as a major, but it is still a wonder for me how animators make such wonderful movies, shows, and clips. Luckily, an animator was invited to give us a talk.
     Most of the people who attended the seminar were aspiring animators who had tons of questions to ask the speaker. During the talk, I was able to grasp a few techniques people use when they are working on an animated clip or movie. It was also a relief to see that a lot of people agree that animation is not only for kids. Animation is supposed to be something everyone can enjoy, not just young people. No matter how old or young you are, you can still enjoy animation. Just because you aren't in your teenage years doesn't mean you have to give up everything that reminds you of what your childhood felt like.
     Aside from the speaker, we were also shown videos made by APC students themselves and I was very, very impressed. I bet it was hard for them to make videos like that, especially since students usually have busy schedules and days out with their friends. I'm not sure how people come up with such concepts and I also don't know when they found enough time to make all that. They showed us that students can make amazing things even if they are busy with their studies, families, and social lives. People always look down on our course but I'd like them to try and make things like the videos the students come up with and we'll see who's really below. All you need is determination to make money and live.
      Animation, film making, drawing, web designing, etc. These are the things people say are the majors students shouldn't take because no one needs them and they cost too much, when in reality, it is something we cannot live without.

Election Seminar

2:28 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

     It was really hard to understand anything about the seminar because it was hot and I was hungry, but I do know that elections are something no one should consider as a joke or something you are only obliged to do. This issue is very serious, especially since almost everyone in college can already vote.
     Some people, e. g. those who are under eighteen like me, may think that the elections are only a matter of cheating and false promises, but that all depends on the voters. There are so many candidates who may be true to their word when they say they want to build our economy, but integrity requires action. You may want to prove something and make people believe in you, but where are the documents? Where is the proof that you’re really doing what you can to improve our country? Sure, there are people like Mayor Duterte who is very influential in Davao because of everything he’s contributed there, but can you say that he’s honest when he can’t even explain issues like the Davao Death Squad? Or Senator Marcos who has presented quite a number of impressive platforms but never apologized on behalf of his father for Martial Law? These are only some of the most talked-about issues when it comes to elections, but I assume they’re enough to get you to think about who’s really honest about their word. There are candidates who are definitely honest, but are they really effective? Do they go beyond boundaries to fight for what they know is right? Because people are so easy to manipulate these days that just one word from others can make them swerve to the wrong lane. Even voters themselves don’t have enough integrity to know who they should vote for. These candidates have their own agenda, their own principles, and some are willing to do what it takes to reach them, including buying the votes of the citizens.
     You may believe in a candidate because of their words, but I want you to think about it. A true leader has the integrity to set something right and to know where they stand.

Paddington Bear

2:21 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

2:07 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

     I would've said that this event was boring if I weren't one of the contestants. Honestly, it was so hard for me to focus on the matter at hand when all I could think about was how funny the word SQUAB was. Of course, there was also the pressure of representing our block together with two others, but we just had fun and laughed at our mistakes. It was a pretty great experience.
     We only made it to the semi-finals, I think. I don't really remember, but anyway, my point is, even if we didn't win, I guess I was still relieved. I wasn't relieved that we lost, I was relieved because it was finally done. I didn't have to answer more random questions and I didn't have to contemplate whether the answer we were going with was right or wrong. I have to say, though, participating in this event with Marlou and Tophee was actually really enjoyable because we didn't take it seriously. During the whole thing, all we did was ask each other what our guts were telling us and we usually went with that. The whole thing was smooth and tension-free, well, for me. It was really fun to learn new things too, but I didn't pay enough attention to remember any of it. Oops. Oh well! Anyway, the event made me realize how fun every competition would be if no one took it seriously, BUT!!! When it comes to competitions that can affect our grades and reputation, I am not willing to say that it's okay to lose. Competitions are fun, yes, but there are certain competitions that we just can't afford to lose.
     I'm not confident enough to say that we can win more competitions in the future because we have a tendency to slack off and there are too many things going on within our block that needs some EXTREME FIXING but I hope (really, I do) that we will be able to enjoy the future competitions and win a decent number of them. (If only things weren't so complicated in our block :----))

Sana Dati

1:51 AM Valerio, Jerica 0 Comments

     First things first, I do not like romantic movies. AT ALL. I get bored easily because there are so many movies these days that reek of banality. It annoys me when the characters fall in love with each other as soon as they meet, like GIRL, WAIT FOR HIM TO TAKE YOU OUT.
     In the movie, Sana Dati, all I could think about was how irritated I was. Honestly? It was cliche and I found it way too predictive. She falls in love with some guy and the guys dies and of course, of course, OF COURSE, said guy's brother shows up  ON HER DAMN WEDDING DAY. I also have one thing to ask: Why did she even tell the guy's brother to run away with her?? Umm?? I would've appreciated it if she just let him get to know her since that was what he wanted, but no, she had to ask him to go with her because she wanted "get out of there." That is not what she should've done. That was the love of her life's brother, for Christ's sake! I mean, WHO EVEN DOES THAT? Then in the end, she says, "I love you," to the guy she married??? I was so annoyed, God, I honestly wanted to slap her in the face.
     The only good thing about is movie is the message it tried to give the watchers. It wanted us to realize that when you love someone, you can never replace them in your heart. No matter what other people say or who they shove in your face, you will never feel the need to replace the person you love because you simply love them for who they are.
     It's funny how people constantly try to tell you who you should love, don't you think? When are people going to realize that when someone is in love, nothing can get in their way? No one can stop them from loving someone.